I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to combination tools, and more particularly to a combination tool having at least two chuck key bevel gears thereon.
II. Description of the Prior Art
A chuck key is a well-known tool for assisting the reversible attachment of a drill bit to a drill chuck. The chuck key comprises a fixed bevel gear on one end of a key shaft portion, and is adapted to engage a like bevel on the drill chuck. A stem on the bevel gear is engageable with a hole in the side of the drill chuck. Rotation of the chuck key loosens or tightens the grip of the drill chuck on the drill bit.
Often, and particularly often in the consumer area, a chuck key having a single bevel gear is provided with the drill when it is purchased. The chuck key is sized to fit the particular drill that it accompanies. The chuck key which is provided with the drill also typically has a fixed or removable member perpendicularly attached to the end of the key shaft portion, opposite the bevel gear. This member permits easy rotation of the chuck key about the axis of the gear and the key shaft portion, when the key is engaged with the drill chuck.
This conventional chuck key performs less than adequately in some circumstances. A particularly sized chuck can generally be interchangeably used with drills having the same sized drill chuck. However, there is a multiplicity of standard sizes for drill chucks. The most common drill chuck capacities are 1/4, 3/8, 1/2 and 5/8 inches, and there are a number of other "odd" sizes as well. Therefore, if in the past one wished to have the ability to loosen or tighten drill chucks of a variety of these sizes, one had to carry a matching multiplicity of appropriately sized chuck keys.
The inconvenience and cost of maintaining a complete set of chuck keys is clear, since an individual chuck key can easily become lost. Morover, time can be wasted searching through a multiplicity of closely-sized chuck keys for the correctly sized key.